


Slightly Used Cat

by Lilbug121



Category: Re-Animator (1985)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 03:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4205718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilbug121/pseuds/Lilbug121
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Herbert tries to stay on Dan's good side by giving him a gift. Dan isn't sure how he feels about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slightly Used Cat

Dan isn’t quite sure why he never got a new cat. Sure, a hell of a lot came up after Rufus died (and then died again-and again), and after that there was finishing college, and then somehow Herbert managed to drag him to Peru, but he had had plenty of time to get a new cat in between and since then. If he really had to think about it he would probably say he doesn’t trust himself. For as long as he’s known Herbert he was opportunist with the corpses he came across, but he had never actually killed anything that wasn’t a lab animal or a direct threat. Dan believed him that Rufus had suffocated, and couldn’t help but blame himself for that. He should have secured the garbage better; he knew Rufus liked to get into everything. So, he had never gotten a new cat, though he could definitely use the company. Herbert was far from what he would call affectionate.

Despite his lack of affection, Herbert was known to occasionally give Dan gifts, which he had come to recognize as peace offerings. Dan suspected he was motivated by staying on his good side rather than any real remorse for what he had put him through. Yet for some reason he remained, willingly sharing a house with Herbert West and whatever crimes against nature he had thrown together that week. Though, after the last incident he was at least more careful with how he disposed of them once he was done playing god under the guise of research.

Dan was not surprised, then, when Herbert set a box unceremoniously on the table in front of him. He wondered what Herbert saw fit to make up for that last mess, as even he must know how badly the night with the Bride affected him. Herbert’s gifts were always either horribly misjudged or incredibly practical and Dan was sure that whatever it is it would do nothing to make it up to him, and that he would forgive Herbert regardless.

Opening the box, Dan wash shocked, pleased, and disappointed all at once, as a black cat poked its head out and mewed at him.

“You…got me a cat?”

“Well, you were fond of the last one”

“Herbert I killed the last one!”

“That was a complete accident. Besides, I doubt that will happen to this one again.”

“I…wait. Herbert, you do mean you don’t think a second cat will die like that, right?”

Herbert was silent, and made a point to look away from Dan, and the cat which had since curled up in his lap.

“Herbert...was this cat alive when you got it?”

“I didn’t kill it if that’s what you’re asking”

“It’s not”

Dan sighed, resigned, absently petting the cat between the ears. “Was he in one piece when you got him at least?”

“…Mostly. Two pieces really, but you can hardly notice where I put the head back on. For all intents and purposes it is a perfectly normal cat. I could have easily improved upon it, of course, but I have less frequent success when splicing different species together. And…it won’t die, like the last one did. I though you would prefer that”.

Dan was silent. He was impressed; Herbert had actually put some thought into this. He was terribly mislead of course, after the night with the Bride Dan wanted to be done with the living dead for a while, at least on a personal level…yet the cat was very affectionate, purring in his lap and nuzzling his hand. He had forgotten how badly he missed the unrestrained affection of an animal. And Herbert was right, if he hadn’t had the suspicion then he would have never noticed where the head was reattached to the body, or the pinprick hole in the animal’s neck from the syringe.

“Thank you. I think. I…can tell you put a lot of thought into this. I think…I think I’ll find a name for him”. Dan felt like he was making a mistake; then again, Dan felt like he was making a mistake the second he agreed to rent Herbert a room in college and the feeling never really went away since.

“I assumed you would name it Rufus”. Herbert sounded confused, as if he couldn’t conceive of why Dan would choose a new name. Dan couldn’t help but burst out laughing; he was tired, and probably still in shock, and Herbert West, for all his genius, was still a god damn idiot when it came to social interaction. Dan laughed for too long and too loudly, and Herbert didn’t know or care what was so funny, because Dan liked the cat which meant Dan wouldn’t stay mad at him, which meant he wasn’t out an assistant.

Dan isn’t quite sure why he never got a new cat, and he sort of wishes he had at some point so at least his pet would be technically alive. But nothing has gone quite the way he would have preferred since meeting Herbert. And at least this one wouldn’t suffocate to death while he was at work.


End file.
